Birmingham City

The Blues of Birmingham

Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bordesley, Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football.

Quick Facts

Other names

Birmingham derby

Location

Birmingham, England

First meeting

27 September 1879
Friendly
Small Heath 1–0 Aston Villa

Teams

Aston Villa; Birmingham City

Stadiums

Villa Park (Aston Villa); St Andrew's (Birmingham City)

Top scorer

Billy Walker (11)

Latest meeting

10 March 2019
EFL Championship
Birmingham City 0–1 Aston Villa

Most wins

Aston Villa (57)

Lore & Background

As Small Heath, they played in the Football Alliance before becoming founder members and first champions of the Football League Second Division. The most successful period in their history was in the 1950s and early 1960s. They achieved their highest finishing position of sixth in the First Division in the 1955–56 season and reached the 1956 FA Cup final. Birmingham played in two Inter-Cities Fairs Cup finals, in 1960, as the first English club side to reach a major European final, and again the following year. They won the League Cup in 1963 and again in 2011. Birmingham have played in the top tier of English football for around half of their history: the longest period spent outside the top division, between 1986 and 2002, included two brief spells in the third tier of English football, during which time they won the Football League Trophy twice.

Reader's Guide

St. Andrew's has been their home ground since 1906. They have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with Aston Villa, their nearest neighbours, with whom they play the Second City derby. The club's nickname is Blues, after the colour of their kit, and the fans are known as Bluenoses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are Birmingham City?

They are Aston Villa's primary local rivals and one of the two major professional football clubs based in Birmingham, England. Known as The Blues, they play their home matches at St Andrew's stadium.

Where do they play relative to Villa Park?

Birmingham City calls St Andrew's its home ground, located approximately 2.4 miles away from Aston Villa's Villa Park. This proximity fuels the intensity of their local rivalry known as the Second City Derby.

When did the rivalry begin?

The two clubs first contested a match on 27 September 1879, when Birmingham was still known as Small Heath Alliance. That historic fixture ended with a 1–0 victory for the home side on difficult ground conditions.

Why haven't they played each other recently?

Despite being fierce rivals, the teams have not faced one another since Aston Villa returned to the Premier League in 2019. This gap exists because the clubs currently compete in different divisions of English football.